Attention James Bond collectors! Break out your checkbook…

Stephen Lane’s The Prop Store of London, which sells motion picture props, costumes, and other memorabilia, is running a “Bond Week” sale, with more than 150 props and other artifacts from the 007 movies. It began March 23, but there still appears to be a number of items as yet unsold. The relevance of items [...]

Bond girl interview coming up this week

Wes Britton, a friend of this site, passes along the following: When you think of Bond girls, the name Max Versterhalt might not jump to mind. However, she not only appeared in Roger Moore’s 1981 For Your Eyes Only, she was originally intended to be one of its stars. On the next edition of the [...]

Cubby Broccoli’s relationship with United Artists

Steven Bach, a former United Artists executive, died March 25. He wrote a great book, Final Cut, about the making of Heaven’s Gate, the movie that doomed UA as a studio. As it turns out, Bach’s 1985 book has a recurring, cameo chracter: Albert R. Broccoli, the James Bond producer. The book gives an insight [...]

Eon gets casting suggestions for Bond 23

The Cinematical site has come up with seven suggestions for actresses for Eon Productions to consider when casting the female lead for Bond 23. Kevin Kelly, the author of the post, opines about Quantum of Solace: I just found myself bored throughout it, except maybe during that opening car chase. Otherwise, it was snoozeville. I [...]

A lesser Cubby Broccoli credit

It’s the title song for Call Me Bwana, the movie Eon Productions Ltd. made in between Dr. No and From Russia With Love. For Bond fans, it’s mostly famous for the scene in FRWL when Bond helps Kerim Bey kill a murderous Bulgar. An ad for Call Me Bwana, including a likeness of a smiling [...]

A tiger by the tail

British newspaper The Independent‘s website has an interesting article about the legendary producer of the James Bond films, Cubby Broccoli — the man with the golden franchise. 2009 marks the centenary anniversary of Broccoli’s birth, and we’re bound to see many tribute pieces in various media. The article covers some brief biographical information, and then [...]

Michael G. Wilson’s latest utterings on producing 007 movies

Over at the Cinema Retro site, Lee Pfeiffer has a long article describing a recent U.K. appearance by Eon Productions bossman Michael G. Wilson. The entire story can be viewed by clicking RIGHT HERE. A few excerpts follow: Eon’s relations with studios Wilson acknowledged that the production of each film is a frantic period and [...]

Poll by The Times finds it’s hazardous to be 007′s girlfriend

The Times of London did a survey in connection with the 50th anniversay of the publication of Goldfinger. The resulting article by Jack Malvern and Jeremy Duns finds the following: The murder of Jill Masterson in Goldfinger, the third Bond film in 1964, set a precedent that has resulted in 16 of Bond’s 51 lovers [...]

1965: the apex of the 007-Ford Motor relationship

Ford Motor Co. has had a long association with the James Bond film series, most recently with Quantum of Solace. But the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker’s involvement with 007 probably peaked with Thunderball. The company’s cars not only saturate Sean Connery’s fourth 007 outing, but the automaker’s CEO, Henry Ford II (1917-1987), worked as an extra [...]

Saab, once the literary 007′s ride, facing tough times

When John Gardner began writing James Bond continuation novels in the early 1980s, his choice for 007′s car was a Saab. While Saabs never made the movies, the Swedish brand is part of Bond’s history. Well, things aren’t going so well for Saab, the Swedish automaker owned by General Motors Corp. Sarah Lyall of The [...]